Meet our Board of Directors!

My goal is to help others in finding the peace I have found in my recovery and to help them find their way back to a productive and fulfilling life.

Peter Emenecker

Peter currently is the Vice President of Business Development, Dynamic Drinkware, LLC. He has worked in Oshkosh for 25 of the 30 years of his business career in the paper and plastics manufacturing industries. His background includes senior leadership roles in companies with a proved ability to turn vision into action. He graduated from St. Norbert College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 1986 and attended UW-Oshkosh receiving a Master’s in Business Administration in 1994. He started his recovery in 2010 and is passionate about helping others in their recovery. (Board Member 2016, 2017, and 2018. Board Chairperson- 2018).

Michelle Devine Giese

Michelle has been on her recovery journey since 1995. She has a passion to promote recovery in the community. In 1996 she joined the staff at STEP Industries and has held many positions; such as, Operations Manager, Human Resource Manager and President. In 2013 she had the opportunity to study different sober living models which eventually lead to creating a program and starting three sober living houses in the Towns of Neenah and Fox Crossing. January 1st, 2018, STEP Industries merged with Mooring Programs which provides residential treatment to men and women. The merged entity is called Apricity, meaning the warmth of the sun on a cold winter day, which Michelle is now CEO. Michelle is a 1993 graduate of UW Stout with a BS in Business Administration. She holds an AODA Certificate from UW Madison and is a Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor in training (SACIT). Michelle joined of the board for Solutions Recovery Inc. in 2016. She is a past advisory board member for Wisconsin Voice for Recovery, Mooring Programs board member and Appleton Rotary board member.

Andrew Edwards

Since Andrew entered the recovery community in 2014, he has been involved with Solutions in a number of ways, including volunteer work, starting meetings, speaking at functions, and running workshops. Andrew is also the Co-Owner of Lighthouse Recovery, LLC., which is a men’s sober living program in Oshkosh. Andrew currently works at J.J. Keller as an Account Manager in Neenah. Andrew is extremely passionate about helping other addicts and alcoholics discover the same freedom in sobriety that others had helped him achieve.

Trevor Fenrich

Trevor has been involved with Solutions Recovery Club since 2016. Through community service requirements for the Winnebago County Drug Court, he started volunteering at the coffee counter and became more interested in the operations early in his recovery. Quickly he became a member of the steering committee and took charge as the chair person. Trevor’s mission has always been servant leadership to the members of Solutions and recovering people in the community. Trevor is excited about being on the board of directors to be able to bring some action and move forward with growing the organization.

Joe Framke

Joe is a 28 year veteran of the Oshkosh Police Department and is currently assigned as a Detective Sergeant. Joe has completed Crisis Intervention Training and has been active in the area of mental health for over a decade. More recently Joe has worked with numerous community resources in an effort to assist those struggling with addiction navigate resources in an effort to assist the individual begin their path to recovery.

Pat Lowney

Pat graduated from UW-Oshkosh with degrees in Accounting and Finance. Pat also has a MBA from UW Oshkosh and is a CPA. Pat spent his work career working for a local credit union, which he was the President/CEO for 21 years. Now, Pat is retired and has a consulting business that focuses on small business. He mentor small business clients as a volunteer for SCORE. Pat has experience in consumer, mortgage, and commercial lending, budgeting, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and Board management. Pat also spent a good deal of his professional time involved in the political environment on the local, state, and federal level. Previously and to this day, Pat has been involved with a number of organization’s Boards. Pat hosts a one-hour radio program each week. He is married and they have an adult daughter. In his spare time he likes to read. Additionally, Pat has been in recovery since 2015 and on the Solutions Board since 2017. Pat hopes that his business experience can be used to insure the short and long term viability of Solutions so that all in recovery that are seeking a safe place will have one in Oshkosh.

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Eric Smiltneek

Dr. Smiltneek is a board certified family physician and addiction medicine physician who has been in outpatient practice in Oshkosh, WI since 2009. Dr. Smiltneek is the medical director at NOVA counseling services in Oshkosh and ARC in Fond du Lac. Dr. Smiltneek has been actively working with the Wisconsin Department of Correction on the successful Vivitrol program. Dr. Smiltneek has also worked teaching about addiction and recovery for area nurse practitioners and medical residents and is a assistant professor of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Steve Smits

I graduated from Oshkosh West High School in 1975. After high school, I attended St. Norbert College and graduated in 1979 with a Business Administration degree. After a year off working for a window and door business, I went to the Valparaiso University School of Law and graduated in 1983. Subsequent to that, I did take and pass the Wisconsin Bar Exam in the summer of 1983. I have worked for the State Public Defender's Office, since that time, as a criminal defense attorney. At this point in time, a large majority of our cases involve clients with AODA issues, where they are committing crimes while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and/or committing crimes to support their addictions. Furthermore, I have been the Public Defender representative on the Winnebago County Safe Streets Drug Court for the last five years, which has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my legal career as I have had the privilege of working with many of the best people in our treatment community and get to see first-hand all the trials and tribulations of our clients with addiction issues.

Jolie VerVoort

Jolie VerVoort is the President of Residential Treatment Services at Apricity (the merge between Mooring Programs and STEP Industries.) Jolie began her career in the Alcohol and Drug Abuse field in 2004 as an intern at Casa Clare Treatment Facility while she was finishing up her Associates Degree in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling. Throughout her tenure at Apricity, Jolie has held several different positions within Casa Clare and Mooring House. She is currently licensed through the State of Wisconsin as a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor and a Clinical Supervisor In Training

Jenna Washuleski

Jenna was first impacted by addiction with her father. While growing up, she watched the progression of her sibling’s addiction go from alcohol, marijuana, and prescription pills, to heroin, meth, and crack/cocaine. She saw the ripple effect of their addiction and all of the negative consequences that were a result of their using. This is what motivated her to help others live a life in recovery. Jenna went to UW Oshkosh for Psychology and became a Licensed Substance Abuse Counselor in 2015. She is currently work for Winnebago County DHS as an AODA Clinician for adults and adolescents, facilitates a program called Prosocial Thinking, and works with participants in Winnebago County Drug Court. She is a part of the Treatment and Recovery Action Team for Winnebago County Drug and Alcohol Coalition. She is also affiliated with Al-Anon and enjoys attending recovery events, functions, and speaker meetings.

Our Staff

Megan Reinl, Solutions House Program Coordinator

Megan was given a chance to enroll in the Winnebago County Drug Court program and was quickly introduced to Solutions as an opportunity to be of service and gain volunteer hours. Megan became a strong volunteer at the organization and became heavily involved in mentoring, sponsoring, and helping women and Solutions House.

Elyson Edwards, Club Manager (also on Board)

With decades of drug abuse throughout many regions of the US, Ellie had seen it all. As an alternative to prison, she was enrolled in Winnebago County Drug Court program and started volunteering at Solutions for service hours. She quickly became a leader during support groups and then found her home on the inaugural Steering Committee for the club, and shortly after the Board of Directors as treasurer. Ellie has become one of the strongest hearts at the organization, making things run on a daily basis.